Pikmin 3

For those who have never indulged in the series before, Pikmin is Nintendo’s unique nature-based warfare and management series. Taking command of up to 100 of the titular plant people, it’s the player’s job to strip-mine the game’s planet for resources of value (this time around, it’s fruit). Standing between the player and this goal are a variety of hostile natives, boss battles and environmental puzzles, many of which require smart use of the different Pikmin types in order to conquer.

Like many of the company’s recent titles, Pikmin 3 is pretty much what you’d expect from a modern Nintendo sequel (check out our recent video on Pikmin and Pikmin 2 for an idea of just how similar it is to its predecessors). This ‘playing it safe’ design philosophy has it’s pros and cons though I ultimately ended up feeling disappointed with the final product.

There’s no denying that Pikmin 3 is well-designed, charming and polished. There are even a few meaningful tweaks that make the moment to moment game play more pleasant.

Building on Pikmin 2′s dual character system, Pikmin 3 adds a third adventurer, allowing for more complex puzzles and a greater potential for multi-tasking. A new lock-on system makes strafing and targeting enemies easier while an interactive map on the GamePad makes planning your days much more intuitive. The game smartly allows for a variety of control options too, letting you play via the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, Pro Controller or the GamePad.

However, none of these incremental improvements really shake up the series’ formula. That may be well and good if you’re new to the series or you’re simply in it for more of the same. Heck, I thought I was in the latter camp.

But the more I look back on Pikmin 3, the more I realise that Nintendo has once again dropped the ball in terms of going that extra mile.

The three character system and open-ended nature of the main campaign begs for co-operative play. This was one of my main gripes with Pikmin 2 so to see it still not implemented here, two generations of consoles and almost a decade later, is crazy.

The separate challenge missions do allow for two player co-op but this mode only has five original stages (as opposed to levels and scenarios ripped straight out of the campaign) compared to the dozens available in Pikmin 2. The number of players could’ve also been bumped up from more than two players, one of which could have used the GamePad as their own individual screen.

Speaking of which, there’s none of the asynchronous play that Nintendo has previously championed which, again, seemed like an ideal fit for Pikmin. For example, there could’ve been a mode where one person on the GamePad commands the enemies in the environment, trying to prevent the other from snatching up resources.

The multiplayer in general could’ve done with online play, which would have been a first for the series and potentially a large bullet point for the back of the box. This could have encouraged more competition and repeat campaign playthroughs with online friends. Instead, you’re limited to playing with one partner in the same room, just like Pikmin 2 nine years previous.

The campaign clocked in at around 14 hours for me, and that was upon collecting absolutely everything. This probably would’ve been a decent length had some of my above points about the multiplayer been included or addressed. But given these issues and the fairly weak and fleeting additional modes the whole thing ends up feeling a little insubstantial. At least it doesn’t outstay its welcome, I suppose.

Despite these problems, Pikmin 3 did keep me enthralled for the length of the campaign. What works in Pikmin’s past still works well here. Even the five original co-op missions were fun (if brief), though they did feel like a bit of a cock tease for a full co-op campaign.

However, as mentioned before, the experience is basically what I had anticipated; Pikmin 2 with better graphics. That’s a disappointment in itself given the high expectations for a first party Nintendo title and that the Wii U is currently in dire need of innovation.

If you’ve never played a Pikmin game before you’re bound to like Pikmin 3. Similar to Animal Crossing, it’s got a universal appeal, smooth learning curve and allows the player the progress at his or her own pace. Technically, this is likely the best in the series due to the previously mentioned upgrades from the last game. But even newcomers will likely feel a little bit miffed by its short length, lack of campaign co-op and (even knowing Nintendo’s limited utilisation of the Internet) online play.